My first two puppets-please tell me what you think

[Yahnke]

I see the expert puppet builder has generated quite a bit of discussion the last few day. I would just like to share my first two puppets with everyone...i am a "newbie" puppet builder and i kind of used a one way street pattern...but i didn't care for it. I ditched it and adapted some things to my own person taste. Iused foamcore for the mouth plates. But i find that my mouth hinges doesn't give me the floppy loose feel i am looking for. I don't want to have to work so hard just to close my puppets mouth.

www.geocities.com/vicaryahnke/Brittany.html

www.geocities.com/vicaryahnke/Freddy.html

please let me know what you think

 

[Buck-Beaver]

That's a nice puppet for a first attempt, though it does look they were derived from a OWS pattern. I haven't been impressed with the OWS pattern and never used it myself. I know many others on the board didn't like it either. It's really just intended to help out churches that want to make puppets and kind of fits in to a "craft" category. I'd suggest picking up a copy of the Foam Book and/or David Pannebecker's video if you can.

To have a flexible mouth, try using gasket rubber which can be bought at most places that sell plumbing supplies. Some kinds of vynl can work well too. For hard mouths I tend to use Corroplast (corregated plastic) rather than foamcore.

 

[HandySam]

I see the expert puppet builder has generated quite a bit of discussion the last few day. I would just like to share my first two puppets with everyone...i am a "newbie" puppet builder and i kind of used a one way street pattern...but i didn't care for it. I ditched it and adapted some things to my own person taste. Iused foamcore for the mouth plates. But i find that my mouth hinges doesn't give me the floppy loose feel i am looking for. I don't want to have to work so hard just to close my puppets mouth.

www.geocities.com/vicaryahnke/Brittany.html

www.geocities.com/vicaryahnke/Freddy.html

please let me know what you think

i do like how u did the hair on both puppets.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Those are great for first attempts. My very first puppet (I was little with no training) was based on the cheap-o puppets that come in dollar store easter baskets!

 

[HandySam]

Those are great for first attempts. My very first puppet (I was little with no training) was based on the cheap-o puppets that come in dollar store easter baskets!

yes i noticed that with many of the OWS style puppets u get an unevenness around the mouth fozzie. is this just because of a need for more experience or is that a design flaw? maybe its just because of the OWS design. oh and by the way thanks again for the doozer avatar. looks great for me.

 

[HandySam]

yes i noticed that with many of the OWS style puppets u get an unevenness around the mouth fozzie. is this just because of a need for more experience or is that a design flaw? maybe its just because of the OWS design. oh and by the way thanks again for the doozer avatar. looks great for me.

actually id like to know where to go to see some very high quality puppets close up.

 

[doctort13]

Most professional puppeteers will allow you to look at their gear after the show. When Hobey Ford performed in Cincinnati a few years ago, I emailed him in advance to ask if I may look at his puppets & stage. He was so nice, he gave me a free ticket to see the show, invited me back stage, and answered my questions.
I suppose it did help that I told him that I am a member of Puppeteers of America, and active in the Cincinnati Area Puppetry Guild. Most puppeteers that I have met are very friendly folks, and are always willing to share their knowledge with others.

To learn more about Puppeteers of America go to www.puppeteers.org

 

[Buck-Beaver]

yes i noticed that with many of the OWS style puppets u get an unevenness around the mouth fozzie. is this just because of a need for more experience or is that a design flaw?

I haven't actually looked at the OWS pattern itself in years, but I'd suggest it's a combination of both. There's a trick to getting the mouth nice like the Muppet ones. I discovered the trick accidently once when I took apart a Fisher Price Ernie. I'll post a thing about it soon when I have time.

There's bound to be more than one method for doing this though...does anyone else want to share theirs?

 

[ddavisborg]

I currently use the OWS pattern. The first time I used it I found it to be somewhat confusing and wasn't happy with how the mouth worked when I was finished. The mouth seemed a bit tight to move. I have since adapted the mouth. I use quilters template plastic for the base (you can get it at hobby lobby in big sheets). I cut the formica pieces about 1/4 inch shorter in length from the original pattern. The felt piece that is inside the puppets head I also cut in half. I assemble it as the pattern says and then once I have the mouth sewn in I finish off the inside hinge with duct tape (a couple of layers). This gives me a much better hinge than if the formica meets and the felt covers the whole inside. Also when you are glueing on the outer felt mouthpiece (before sewing) you need to leave the outer 1/2 inch free of glue or contact cement - otherwise it grabs your thread and breaks it - all the while gumming up the needle in your sewing machine. I have also found that this pattern works best with fleece that has more stretch to it. I have used a fleece that was one side fleece and the other side was a smooth, almost slick, material. It was a great deal more difficult to use and I didn't like how it wouldn't stretch over the foam. If I use this sort of material for my skin again, then I will cut my pattern for the skin at least 1" bigger so that it doesn't compress the foam. I have made 4 puppets from this pattern so far and have 2 others in progress right now. 2 of the puppets are black light ones and the people I made them for have two other OWS black light puppets they ordered - they say they can't tell the difference between the ones I made and the ones they purchased. I have compared them and the only thing I see is that my hands are not as good as the ones they purchased. I would like to get the foam book because I have heard everyone talk about it so much. I have looked at the arms length productions web site but I really can't afford the videos right now. I just wanted you guys to know that you can get a good puppet from the OWS pattern but it takes a couple of times using it before you really get the hang of it.

 

[Yahnke]

Thanks for the last post on the OWS pattern, i agree with everything you said about the pattern being decent but they make the mouth hinge and sewing part sound like rocket science.

Let me ask you...is all of this negative talk about OWS and the "uneven" look of the mouths discussion based on the pictures of my puppets. If it is please let me know. be specific on what could be better ..looking anyway...with my puppets. I am here to learn ...not be proud...so please. let me have it!